With Declan Rice soon expected to depart West Ham United, there’s an expectation that the east Londoners will soon make a move for Southampton’s set-piece King, James Ward-Prowse.
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After suffering relegation with the Saints, Ward-Prowse could be offered an immediate route back to the Premier League, and the 28-year-old will enjoy a European campaign with the Hammers to boot if he puts pen to paper.
Though Ward-Prowse wouldn’t be a like-for-like swap with Rice, he will certainly add some quality and depth to the midfield areas for David Moyes, and it’s understandable why the club would try to tempt him to the London Stadium.
A deal could have more chance of succeeding, however, if the Hammers include a fan favourite in the deal.
According to the content creator known as ExWHUemployee, Flynn Downes could be used as a makeweight in any deal.
“In other news a heads up given to us a couple of days ago from twitter account WestHamOnline has proven to have some substance,” he said on his West Ham Way podcast (subscription required).
“This was that Southampton were considering making a move for Flynn Downes either on loan or permanent as he had spoken to someone within the Downes family.
“I have since checked this out and there does seem to be credible evidence. This is largely down to their appointment of his former manager at Swansea, Russell Martin. They enjoyed a great relationship and the former Norwich player sees Downes as a great addition to help drive the Saints back to the Premier League.
“Mark Warburton was instrumental in getting the midfielder to turn down an almost done move to Palace to sign for us. He has obviously left the club (with a replacement expected to be named soon) and Moyes may consider allowing the player to move.
“What makes this move more significant is our interest in James Ward Prowse. The set piece king is high on Moyes’ wish list, as he was last summer, and at the moment we feel their valuation is too high. If Downes could be included in the deal this could help lower the cost.”
It isn’t clear at this stage whether David Moyes and chairman, David Sullivan, would be amenable to such an idea, however, given that Downes only managed to play a full game on eight occasions out of 28 in all competitions last season according to WhoScored, it’s a switch worth giving more than a cursory thought to.
Downes himself may well be happier at more regular football too, and in that sense it could be a deal to suit all parties.
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